Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater – And let me just say to everyone who told me it was werewolf rip off of Twilight – did you actually read Twilight and Shiver? Not the same book.

What Should I Do with My Life? by Po Bronson – This is a great non-fiction book. I picked it up as research for one I am writing, but I have to admit I love it. I keep reading it out loud to my poor husband who would really like to get to watch a movie, or read his own book, in peace.

Next up:

It’s OK Not to Share by Heather Shumaker – This is a non-fiction book that, on the surface at least, looks like it’s got some great advice for all the worry-wart helicopter parents out there. I’m not a huge fan of parenting books in general, but I’m intrigued by the trends. I’m intrigued by what people are telling parents because I see the results of their heinous frackery in my kids’ school every day. I’m still waiting for the parenting book that says “Love your kids. Read to them. Send them to the park. They’ll be fine.” But I guess it would be hard to justify a $20 price tag on that…

In Their Shoes by Deborah Reber – More research for my non-fiction book.

And now, in no particular order because I’m never entirely sure what I’ll be grabbing off the shelves next:

Abarat: Absolute Midnight by Clive Barker – This is the long awaited 3rd book in theAbarat series. I got it for Christmas and have just been too fracking busy to read it. But that’s what summer is for – reading by the pool while the lifeguard saves your children from drowning…

American Dervish by Ayad Akhtar – I’m fascinated by the Muslim American experience, and listening to this guy on NPR made me think he was the one to shed a little light on the topic.

The Windup Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi – This book has been cropping up on my radar all over the place, so I finally bought it.

Peter and the Secret of Rundoon by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson – Book something or other in the Peter and the Starcatchers series. I just LOVE, LOVE, LOVE their take on Peter Pan. What a great refresh of an old classic.

Zero History by William Gibson – Techno-dystopian thriller. Fun, and good research for one of my future books!

A Hat Full of Sky by Terry Pratchet – I guess this is his big YA debut. I love Terry Pratchet, and I dig YA, so this should be right up my alley.

Son of Avonar by Carol Berg – I fell in love with Carol’s writing with The Collegia Magica series. Now I’m traveling back in time to start one of her earlier series!

By the Time You Read This, I’ll be Dead by Julie Anne Peters – Contemporary YA. It’s where it’s at, baby. The darker and grittier the better.

Rock On by Denise Vega – More contemporary YA, but this one is just ever so slightly less dark and gritty. After all it’s about Guitars, Gigs, Girls and a Brother.

Peter Nimble and His Fantastic Eyes by Jonathan Auxier is also high on my list.

Those are the ones currently staring at me from my bookshelf. Here on the ones I’ll be buying or checking out from the library. You’ll notice they’re all YA. Yeah, because that’s where all the best writing is these days.

Grave Mercy by Robin LaFeversPieces of Us by Margaret GelbwasserWither by Lauren DeStefano1Q84 by Haruki MurakamiUnwind by Neal ShustermanBlood Red Road by Moira YoungDivergent by Veronica RothShip Breaker by Paolo BacigalupiThe Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness

2 responses to “Summer Reading”

I love Terry Pratchett’s books for younger readers! The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents (2001) is a stand-alone book, but Hat Full of Sky (2004) is the sequel to The Wee Free Men (2003). Hat Full of Sky will make a LOT more sense if you read Wee Free Men first. After that, be sure to catch Wintersmith and I Shall Wear Midnight, which are the third and fourth books in that storyline.

I read all of the Hunger Games books in the space of a week. Then I went and heard John Elder Robison speak about his experiences as an adult with Asperger’s, and read his book “Look Me In The Eye” – I HIGHLY recommend this for anyone who lives with (or is) a person with Asperger’s. I also picked up his next book, “Be Different”, and I’ll be reading that soon.

Right now I am thoroughly enjoying “Start Player One”, the debut novel of Ernest Cline. Having grown up in the 1980’s and being a pretty serious computer/sci-fi/fantasy geek as an adult, this book is right up my alley. It’s an interesting look at a future dystopia where the online world has become much more real (and much more pleasant) than the “real” world. School, commerce, church, travel, almost everything happens in the virtual reality. The author does a great job of dealing with the inevitable pluses and minuses of this way of life, while pulling in an encyclopedic knowledge of 1980’s pop culture in a surprisingly engaging way. Read it! 🙂